‘Iron Fist’ Won’t Actually Show the Coolest Part of Becoming ‘Iron Fist’

Controversy continues to swirl around Marvel’s Netflix Iron Fist, but even as cast and crew go on the defensive from bad reviews, many are intrigued to see the more fantastical elements of Danny Rand’s origin story in K’un L’un. Well, bad news on that front, as Iron Fist becomes the second series in which Finn Jones never gets to meet a dragon.

You’re warned of light spoilers for Marvel’s Netflix Iron Fist and the comic source material from here on out, but a central element of Danny Rand taking on the “Iron Fist” mantle involves his battle with actual dragon “Shou-Lao the Undying,” from whom the title power is derived. Netflix Iron Fist trailers have only shown snippets of Danny’s time in K’un L’un, but as Jones confirms to Yahoo News, Marvel’s Defenders series lack the funding to actually depict a CG dragon:

I’d love to have the budget for these shows to have a full-on Game of Thrones style dragon. But unfortunately you know, we have budget restraints. That’s the nature of the show … We do allude to it in Iron Fist, in a very intelligent way. And definitely in The Defenders… but I think, you know, we’ve got to be realistic.

One wonders if perhaps Iron Fist was proportionally disadvantaged among the four Netflix Defenders, to have such an outlandish origin outside the New York setting, where Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage could establish the brunt of their histories with practical flashbacks over a few episodes. Nonetheless, Shou-Lao’s absence seems to be one in a long line of practical considerations toward bringing Iron Fist to life, that now appear to be backfiring with fans.

It’s likely that the season half not screened for critics will delve deeper into Danny’s time in K’un L’un, but did Iron Fist bite off more than it could chew, to depict its superhero origin without some of the most exciting imagery? All episodes will debut this coming Friday, March 17, so stay tuned.